Lori Regenstreif vs. transgender people

Lori Regenstreif is a Canadian physician and anti-transgender activist. Regenstreif is associated with SPLC-designated anti-trans hate group Genspect, is a contributing writer to Canada’s anti-trans Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and is a member of anti-trans organization Heterodox Academy.

note: for the unrelated trans-supportive health system research nonprofit, see Regenstreif Institute.

Background

Leonora Julie “Lori” Regenstreif identifies as an Ashkenazi Jew, earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Alberta in 1984, then attended University of Toronto, earning a master’s degree in 1989 and a medical degree in 1994. Regenstreif trained in family medicine at University of British Columbia. In 2017, Regenstreif earned another master’s degree focused on Addictions and Mental Health from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at University of Toronto.

Regenstreif was a staff physician at locations throughout Canada from 1997 to 2018, including Vancouver, Inuvik, Sudbury, Manitoulin Island, Toronto, and Hamilton. Regenstreif has worked at numerous facilities, including:

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinic
Arrell Youth Detention Centre
Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre

In 2018, Regenstreif began focusing on drug use and dependence research.

Regenstreif is certified in Addiction Medicine via the College of Family Physicians of Canada, which confers the designation CCFP (AM). Regenstreif has also been named as a Fellow, which confers the designation FCFP. In 2011 Regenstreif was awarded a Janus Continuing Professional Development Scholarship by CCFP. Regenstreif also holds a CISAM certification from the International Society of Addiction Medicine.

Regenstreif’s British-born spouse is also a medical researcher, focusing on diseases like asthma in mouse models. They have children Shiloh (born 2002) and Owen (born ~2005).

Anti-transgender activism

In 2021, Regenstreif expressed these views:

The current theme, in much of North America, is that “trans-identifying” youth are unique and special and the more we do to keep them happy and “prevent them from self-harm”, the more good we are doing, period. But alienating them from their families, separating away their parents and excluding their families from well-rounded support is more the behaviour of a cult than of a health care system intended to offer the best and highest quality outcomes for children or adolescents in distress. We do them a huge disservice by believing the dominant narrative that they are all marginalized. In many parts of North America, at this time, “trans kids” and “trans people” as they are self-identifying, are being celebrated and this “halo” offers respite for many sub-groups of bullied, out-lying, neuroatypical and mentally distressed kids.

In 2022 Regenstreif teamed up with anti-trans activists Sarah C. J. Jorgensen, Patrick K. Hunter, Joanne Sinai, and William J. Malone to criticize affirming care for gender diverse youth, particularly use of puberty blockers.

In 2023 Regenstreif criticized communicating with young patients about sexual health using vernacular terms, telling the Daily Mail: “Health providers don’t need to be ‘cool.’ We can just politely and respectfully use clinical, anatomical language. Kids might giggle or snicker but they will likely be even more put off if we try to “match” their word choices, which may be based on pornographic or inappropriate online resources.” The article continued: “The physician said a few questions, modified for the age of the patient, like ‘are you sexually active?’ and ‘Have you had intercourse with someone with a penis?’ are adequate. She added: ‘Any more detail than this – like suggesting novel words like “front-hole” or “dicklet” – are unnecessary and prurient.”

In 2023, Regenstreif signed a citizen petition (FDA-2023-P-3767) prepared by Nancy Stade that attacks gender affirming care for minors. It was signed by many other leading lights in anti-trans activism worldwide.

In 2023, Regenstreif participated in a Genspect conference presentation with physician Carrie Mendoza on “the potential confusion and errors that may arise when health records are altered to match a person’s gender identity rather than their biological sex.” Regenstreif also held a workshop on “detransition” with pediatrician Julia Mason and facilitated by Leonore Tiefer, titled “Moving Beyond Transition”:

Genspect is the only organisation in the world to offer a service that funds low-cost and no-cost counselling for detransitioners. Sorely aware of the many challenges facing this dismissed cohort, we are providing two workshops for detransitioners, on Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29^th of April. Body shame is a common issue, and many detransitioners fear whether they will have successful intimate relationships in the future. Dr Julia Mason and Dr Lori Regenstreiff will hold the first workshop on Friday, which aims to provide as much practical information as possible in this under-researched field. Dr Leonore Tiefer, a sexologist and psychologist, will facilitate the Saturday workshop, which will offer practical strategies about sex and relationships.

Regenstreif also comments on anti-trans group blog UnHerd, such as this comment under an article by Kathleen Stock in response to an unaccepting parent of a trans child:

You are somewhat fortunate that there are supports and resources now that may help guide you and protect your son from “capture” by this social movement. Strongly advise you to reach out to Genspect and join a parent group and listen to or watch the Gender A Wider Lens podcasts. There is still hope for the younger kids like yours with ROGD, especially in the UK. I promise you, you may be able to guide him through unharmed. Parents of older children now, and in North America in particular, are not so lucky. Reach out!

Another UnHerd comment by Regenstreif on an article by Joan Smith says:

There was a time when we all believed this was a reasonable, human rights argument in defense of a vulnerable minority. Then it became clear that it’s something else, highly privileged and about the hijacking of vulnerable narratives by a powerful, class-based majority.

In April 2024, Isabelle Moreton reported that Regenstreif had testified at hearings on trans youth held by Les Républicains in the French Senate:

On 18 March, the group of Les Républicains (LR; “The Republicans”) in the French Senate published a report, Rapport sur la transidentification des mineurs (Report on the trans-identification of minors) (Groupe Les Républicains au Sénat, 2024). LR, the party of Nicolas Sarkozy, former President of France, was France’s conservative major party until it was supplanted around 2017 by Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN; “National Rally”). It remains the largest party in the Senate.

The working group heard 67 witnesses, including 4 anonymous parents and 1 anonymous detransitioner. Of the remainder, some were from trans community advocacy and health promotion groups, or were clinicians who supported the scientific consensus.

In 2024 Regenstreif appeared in a Genspect video about The WPATH Files with Eithan Haim, Mark Buchanan, Roy Eappen, and Carrie Mendoza, Stella O’Malley, and report author Mia Hughes. They discuss the difficult positions doctors find themselves in when they want to talk about what they see online, such as on TikTok, particularly concerning medications and surgeries for children. They reveal how these conversations often have to be conducted in secrecy because being open about them could lead to significant professional consequences.

References

Moreton, Isabelle (April 1, 2024). Several Problems Weekly #5: 24–30 March 2024. Several Problems Press https://severalproblems.press/2024/04/01/several-problems-weekly-5-24-30-march-2024/#fr-republicains

Groupe Les Républicains au Sénat [French Senate Group of Les Républicains] (March 18, 2024). Rapport sur la transidentification des mineurs [Report on the trans-identification of minors]. Les Républicains https://lesrepublicains-senat.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/RAPPORT-SUR-LA-TRANSIDENTIFICATION-DES-MINEURS-18.03.2024-avec-compression.pdf

Lardieri, Alexa (October 23, 2023). Prominent doctor at the American Academy of Pediatrics proposes renaming penises ‘outies’, vaginas ‘front holes’ and clitorises ‘d*cklets.’ Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12662193/doctor-American-Academy-Pediatrics-renaming-penises-vaginas.html

Stade, Nancy K. (September 4, 2023). Citizen Petition from Nancy K. Stade et. al. https://www.regulations.gov/document/FDA-2023-P-3767-0001

Lane, Bernard (May 4, 2023). Data we need: Doctors warn against the corrupting of medical records. Gender Clinic News https://www.genderclinicnews.com/p/data-we-need

CBC Radio (January 5, 2018). How an injured doctor saved her own life on an Antarctic Cruise. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/adventures-in-medicine-1.4458843/how-an-injured-doctor-saved-her-own-life-on-an-antarctic-cruise-1.4458865

Selected anti-trans writing by Regenstreif

Regenstreif, Lori (July 21, 2023). Unwillingness to challenge partisan paradigms in Canadian gender affirmation research is inexcusable. Hamilton Spectator https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/unwillingness-to-challenge-partisan-paradigms-in-canadian-gender-affirmation-research-is-inexcusable/article_58eb4780-85d5-538c-9e7e-ca99ed4cf52b.html

Jorgensen SCJ, Hunter PK, Regenstreif L, Sinai J, Malone WJ (2022). Letter: Puberty blockers for gender dysphoric youth: A lack of sound science. JACCP: Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Volume 5, Issue 9, September 2022 Pages 1005-1007 https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1691

Sinai J, Regenstreif L (2022). Letter: Informed consent for gender-questioning youth seeking gender-affirmative care is a complex issue. BC Medical Journal, vol. 64, No. 7, September 2022, Pages 286-287 https://bcmj.org/letters/informed-consent-gender-questioning-youth-seeking-gender-affirmative-care-complex-issue

replies (p. 287) https://bcmj.org/sites/default/files/BCMJ_Vol64_No7-complete-with%20premise%20corrected%20%28ID%202375112%29.pdf
Julie Leising MD FRCPC (2022), A closer look at the evidence for gender-affirming care
Gail Knudson MD Barbara Findlay QC, and Daniel Metzger MD (2022). Guest editors reply to Drs Sinai, Regenstreif, and Leising
see also Julie Leising, MD, FRCPC (2022). Gender-affirming care for youth—separating evidence from controversy. BCMJ, vol. 64, No. 7, September 2022, Pages 314-316,319 https://bcmj.org/premise/gender-affirming-care-youth-separating-evidence-controversy